pittminn



17 Sheets-Sheet 1.

v 'E. .PIT TMA'NN, Envelope Machine.

No.- 235,453. Paten'ted.Dec.-14, I880.

Wit 1 as E I K/E liar;

PETERS, PHOTO-LITMOGRAFH ER, WASHXNGTON. D C.

17 Sheets-Sheet 3.

Patented Dec. 14, 1-880.

B PIT'IfMANN) Envelope. Machine.v

17 Sheets-Sheet 9.

E.'PITTMANN. Envelope Machine.

Patented Dec. 14, 1880.

.m W M m M I6 9 i .m rr 7 ---H .m. 5 W E t 5 NJEIENS, FHOTO-UTHOGRAPHER. WASHINGTON D C.

E". PITTMANN. Envelope Machine.

Patented "-PETETS. PHOTO-UTHOGRAPHER, WASHINGTON. D. C-

17 Sheets-Sheet 10.

' Dec. 14,1880.

17 Sheets-.-Sheet- 1'1.

E 4PITTMKNNQ Envelope Machine,-

Patented Dec. 14,1880;

' iTSheets-Sheet 13.

E. PITTMANN. V Envelope Machine.

Patented Dec. 14,1880.

5 Wlllllll Irp/Eqhn. aim m gar vim, 7" M 7 "W7 Will/LE 5 5 as.

NJEIERS, FHOTD-UTHUGRAPIIER, WASHINGTON. D. C-

j" 17 Sheet-Sheet 14. E. PITTMANN. Envelope'Machine.

No. 235,453. Raienied Dec. 14,1880.

V 17Sheets-Sh'et16. E. PITTMANN; Envelope Machine;

Pat gnted Dec. 14,1880.

!N.P ErERs, FHOTO-LITNDGRAPHER, WASHINGTON. P10.

EnWAItDPITTMANN, on HARTFORD, CONNECTICUT, lissrenon TO THE PLIMPTONMANUFAOTURING COMPANY, or SAME PLACE.

ENVELOPE-MACHINE.

SPECIFIOATIONYforming part of Letters Patent No. 235,453, dated December 14, 1880.

i Application filed December 24,18 79.

T alll bhom it may concern:

Be iteknown that ItEDWARD PITTMANN, of Hartford, county of Hartford, State of Connecticut, have invented an Improvement in Envelope-Machines, of which thefollowin g description, inconnectioniwith the accompanyingdrawings, is aspecification. This nventionrelates to machines for making envelopes, and has for its objects to simplifythe devicesfor gumming andpresenting the envelope-blanks t0 the folding mechanism tobe folded,,to enable the machine to .work more-rapidly and with less waste of material.

In this my machine the mechanism forfolding theeuvelope-blanks, such as the plunger and the side and flap folders, are substantially the same as represented in United States Patents No. 177,048 and No. 71,252, with the exception that 1 have added. to the seal-flap folder a guard to keep the seal-flap from coming in contact with the other parts of the en- -velop'e as it is being pressed at its folds, and

I have made the back flap so that its pressure can be regulated asdesired.

In this lay-machine the blanks at the top of the pile of blanks automatically fed up at the proper speed are actedupon by a pusher, so as to prevent the seal-flap gummer from gumming but one envelopeblank.

The seal flap is first gummed while the blank is held down by a presser, which holds it inplace, and then the back flap is gummed, theblankjat the seal-flap end is relieved from pressure, and as'the back-flap gummer rises it lifts the back-flap end of the blank, (it leading in thepassage of the blank through the machine,) and the devices which are to feed the said blank forward are passed under it, 'e'ngagingthe blank and carrying it into position under the plunger, when it is forced down througlrthe usual plunger-shaped opening in the foldingtable and into the folding-box, in connection withawhich are side, seal, and back flap folders, operated in the order and by mechanism substantially as heretofore practiced.

The center partof the. blank, while being transferred from the position where lifted by the back-flap. gum mer to, aposition above the folding-table, is. supported by a short reciproeating 'sliield,instlead of by a' long movable plate connected with a reciprocating head at the rear of the folding-table, as has been common in some old forms of machines in operation, this short shield enabling the plunger to be operated with less dwell at its upstroke.

Instead" of discharging the folded blank from the folding-bed into the spaces in the drying-belt by. gravity alone, as heretofore common, I discharge it positively by a blow from a striker, the latter operating througha passage made for it in the folder-bed.

I have placed a spring-held separator to act upon the back-flap end of the envelope-blank first lifted from the pile, and have made it adjustable as to its-pressure upon the blank, according to the weight or thickness and quality of the paper.

The edges of the box down into Which the envelope is folded and pressed are uninterrupted by the usual notches, in which the side and other flap folders were commonly hung, such continuous-acting edge saving very much waste and clogging of the folding parts.

My improved counting mechanism is made operative by the presence of an envelope in the ing the envelope from the chain is moved forward, so that, should the blank be wanting, the mechanism does not operate to count for that forward movement. This insures accurate counting.

In other machines the gummers have usually been conneeted with their operating devices by springs which yielded more or less after the gummers struck the uppermost blank of the pile of blanks, according to its thick ness; but in this my machine the blanks are held upona spring-sustained table provided with mechanism to move the table and elevate the pile, keeping the top blankof the pile at substantially the same level, and in this way the gummers are carried by rods or bars positively connected with their operating-heads.

Figure 1 represents, in elevation, the front of one of my improved machines above the top plate, a, the presser-operatin g rock-shaft being broken out near its center, the arenabeing also partiallybroken oft, and the rocker-shafts for moving the side-flap folders being omitted to avoid confusion. Eig. 2 is an elevation of WW teasers-5:

the front of the machine, showing most of its parts below the said top plate, a, down to the cam-shaft, which is shown in a separate view from the front in Fig. 10. In this Fig. 2 the blauk-supporting table and folder-bed are shown near their lowest positions. Thedryin gbelt and its supportingframe (shown fully in Fig. 4) are broken away, as are also the numerous connecting-rods which connect with the usual levers actuated by the usual cams on the shaft shown in Fig. 10; Fig.3, a left-hand side elevation of the parts above the top plate, the separator and links for operating the seal-flap folder being omitted, as they are fully shown in Figs. 5, 8, and 21. In Fig. 3 the seal-flap gummer is supposed to be down far enough to almost touch the pile of blanks, the uppermost one of which is to be gummed, and the backfiap gummer is in position over its gummingroller, Where it has been gummed preparatory to its descent upon the back flapof the blank. Fig. 4 is an elevation of the same side of the machine, showing all of it below the said top plate, a part of the frame-work being, however, broken out. The blank-table is shown in its lowest position. Fig. is a vertical cross-section of the mechanism above the said table. Fig. 6 is a right-hand end elevation of the machine below the said top plate, the said figure showing chiefly the parts for operating the counting mechanism, a part of the envelopereceiving box ir" being shown as broken away. Fig. 7 is a top view of that part of the machine immediately above the table A, (see Fig. 5,) over which the separate envelope-blanks pass, the parts of the machine above and below it being removed the more clearly to show the presser which operates on the blanks while the seal-flap is being gummed and the feeding devices for moving the gummed blanks in position to be operated upon by the plunger. The rod of the plunger is shown in section. Fig. 8 is a top view, showing the rear end of the top plate, with the back and side and seal flap folders and their operating devices above the said top plate, together with the guard for preventing the seal-flap from coming in contact with the folded envelope. The small Fig. 8" at the sideofthis Fig. 8 shows details of said guide. Fig. 8 isadetail ofone of the pushing-fingers g. Fig. 9 is a rear elevation of a part of the machine below the top, it showing especially the devices for imparting motion to the back-flap folder, the device for operating the foldingbed, the rod for actuating the cross-head which carries the plunger a of the folding mechanism,the shaft which actuates the drying-chain, and the several levers or arms which reciprocate the rods therein shown as broken off, the rest of the said arms being shown in Fig. 2. The cam-shaft omitted from Fig. 9 is shown in Fig. 10. Fig. 10 is a. detail representing the cam-shaft and its cams, viewing the machine from its front, the said figure also showingthe stand and the lever for moving the driving-shaft of the drying-chain and the arm for moving the packer that crowds the envelopes into the receiving-box. Fig. 11 is a left-hand side elevation of the stand and its attached parts for holding the lovers which, through connecting-rods, impart to the gnmmers their horizontal motions, and also the lever which actnates the pawl that rotates the shaft that imparts intermitting motion to the drivingbelt for the drying-chain. Fig. 12 is an op posite side view of Fig. 11. Fig. 13 is a top view of the gum-box and its rollers; Fig. 14, a left-hand end view ther f; Fig. 15, a sectional detail of thMJed elevated with the striker or dist .gihg-finger in a slot therein; Fig. 16, a top view of the platform and linger of Fig. 15. Fig. 17 is a top view of the dog-plate provided with hinged dogs to fall behind the top of each envelope as it is struck by the packer-plate and moved into the receiving-lmx,to thereby prevent the envelope moving backward when the packerplate is reciprocated; Fig. 18, a detail of shaft and arms for imparting a yielding motion to the bacleflap folder; Fig. 19, a detail of the drying-chain; Fig. 20, a modification thereof; Fig. 21, a detail showing in side elevation and section the separating devices to prevent more than one blank being lifted at the same time. Figs. 22 and 23 are details of the bunching devices for automatically throwing out at the proper time an envelope, in order to assist in dividing them into packages of proper size;

Fig. 24, a detail showing the adjustable eccentric for altering the forward position of the separating-finger, that it may lap more or less over the edge of the uppermost blank, according to thickness of paper composing the blank; Fig. 25, a detail of the picking-out mechanism for drawing the folded envelope from the drying-chain, the picker-head being in section. Fig. 26 is a top view, showing the picker-head as holding an envelope; Fig. 27, adetail showing the back-flap protector removed from frame a at the rear of Fig. 5; Figs. 28 and 29, top view and section of the box into which the envelopes are forced by the plunger and upon which the folding flaps are pivoted; Figs. 30 to 37, details of cams to be referred to; Fig. 38,21. vertical transverse section of the under part of the machine, it corresponding in position with the section Fig. 5 of the upper part of the machine; Figs. 39 and 40, rear and side views of devices for moving upward the bed upon which the envelope-blanks rest; Fig. 41, a detail top view of table-mow ing devices, the table I being omitted; Fig. 42, a detail showing the arm for lifting the bar l", to be referred to; and Figs. 43 to 46, details illustrating the various devices in different views that operate the counting and picking-out devices, (shown enlarged in Figs. 22, 23, 25, and 26.)

The frame-work is composed chiefly of side plates, (1, a top plate or platform, a, an arch, a, (partly broken away in Fig. 1,) to support the guide-box a for the seal-flap-gummer slide a and a second cross-arch, 0. which serves as guide for the reciprocating rod a, which, through the small cross a-rm a (common to 'United. States Patent N0.177,()48,)actuates the plunger-rod a guided in the cross-arch a This plunger-rod a has attached to it the usual plunger 0.", which forces the gum med envelopeward ends; of levers b b" b b b I), having 'their-fulcra on a shaft, 1), to hold the usual anti-friction rollers on the said levers in contact with the cams -c c c c c c on the camshaft 0 driven in any usual way by a frictionclutch pulley, the rimonly of which is shown at 0 the most of saidpulley and rim being broken away to show the compound grooved pulley c at the rear of it, (said pulley being also shown at left of Fig. 10,) which, by one belt, 0 drives the shaft 0 provided with a "cone-shaped groove'dpulley, 0 one of the grooves of which, by a connecting-belt, c over the oppositely-inclined conical grooved pulley 0", drives the shaft (1, having upon it 1 r the rotating fan d, the speed of which may be varied at will by changing of position of the belt 0 into one or the other grooves of the pulleys c" c ,to create more or less blast of air to dry the envelope 6?, placed between the holding-fingers (1 an air-deflector, 0 directing the said air toward the chain. The links of the chain. are joined by the rods (1 (see also 7 detail Fig. 19,) to form the envelope-dryin g chain, the bars of the chain being engaged and moved by teeth of a chain-moving cylinder, d on the shaft d5. (See Figs. 9 and 10.) The cross-rods d of this drying belt or chain are long enough (see Fig. 20) to rest upon the flanged portions 01' of the stationary chain guiding and sustaining bridge d (shown quite fully in Fig.4, and in cross-section, Fig-2,) strips 01 and d'" at the outer edges of the fingers and at their sides preventing the folded envelopes dropping out or being moved laterally therefrom, except at the proper time and by the proper devices, to be described hereinafter. In Fig. 4. I have shown but a few of the said fingers composing the drying-chain, as they will all be made alike.

To dispense with the strips 01 al I may and have successfully used on each finger a hooked part, d, as shown in Fig. 20, the said hooked parts being so placed as to pass one beyond the other above the top of the envelope d between them.

The second belt, d driven by pulley 0 is extended upward,crossed, and applied to pulley d, (see Figs. 1, 3, and 4,) placed on and so as to drive the short shaft 0, which, as shown in section, Fig. 13, has a squared or other irregularly-shaped end to enter a socket or connecting-sleeve, e, which receives the squared or other irregularly-shaped end of the shaft of the main gum-box roller 6 having bearings in the gum box 6 in which is a second gumbox roller, a, driven from the shaft of gumbox roller 6 by the pinions c 0 The gumbox rollere has its bearings 6 made as tubular sleeves clamped in carriages e by means of clamping-screws 6 extended through-ears e'" of the carriages, each carriage 0 being guided by suitable studs, 0, and made horizontally adjustable by adjusting-screws c, which enable the roller 0 to be moved toward or from the roller e to lessen or increase the quantity of gum which shall be permitted to rise and appear on the upper parts of the said gum-box rollers, to thereby determine the quantity of gum which shall be taken from the said gumbox rollers by the gumming-rollers f f, which run'in contact therewith, (see Figs. 13 and 5,) they determining the quantity of gum which shall be applied to the seal-flap gummersf and the back-flap gumniers f To more completely control the quantity of gum to be taken up by the gumming-rollers and their exact position of horizontality with reference to the acting faces of the said seal and back flap gummers, the bearings f for the gumming-rollers are made adjustable vertically by means of screws f (See Figs. 1, 5, and 14.)

The journals of the gumming-rollers f f are held in poppet-heads fitted in the bearings ,one of which is broken out in Fig. 14., and the said journals are made adjustable horizontally by adjusting-screws f. This gumbox is supported on rigid standards f (see Fig. 1,) screws f passing through ears f of the gum-box.

The first cam, f, on the main shaft 0 re ciprocates the link f (see Fig. 4,) which at its upper end (see Figs. 1, 3) is connected with the arm 9 of the presser-operating rock-shaft g, havingits bearingiu ears 9 on the top plate, a, said rock-shaft having connected with it blank-pnshing fingers g (see Figs. 5 and 7,) provided with pushers 9 (see separate detail Fig. 8 which pnshers operate upon the edges of the pile of blanks which rest on the movable bed 9 thereby placing the upper blank of the pile in such position with relation to the blank or blanks immediately under it that only the uppermost blank can receive upon it gum from the seal-flap gummer f These fingers 9 have attached to them a cross-bar, 9 (see Fig. 7,) upon the under side of which is attached a presser-plate, g (see Figs. 1, 5, and 7,) which presser-plate is, by the action of rock-shaft g and fingers g thrown down positivel y, so as to press upon each envelope-blank just back of that portion of the seal-flap which is to be struck and gummed by the seal-flap gummer f which descends upon and gums the said seal-flap just before the back-flap gummer f descends upon and gums the back flap of the blank.

The second cam, 9 (see Fig. 10,) on the 0mm 

